IT Pros Need Vacations, Too: Four Ways to Get Ready

Featured article by Mark Brunelli, Carbonite

Okay, I get it: As an IT professional, you’re just too darn important to go on vacation. Your whole company might cease to exist if you head to the beach, Disney World, or Las Vegas, turn off the smartphone, and get some rest and relaxation. Right? Wrong.

You won’t be any good to your company if you let yourself burn out. Vacations are good for you and for your business. Happy, well-rested employees are more productive. And with proper preparation, you too can take a guilt-free vacation and have lots of fun doing it. Here are four quick tips designed to help you prepare your IT department for a happy and successful summer vacation season:

Create a vacation calendar and stick to it

With some careful scheduling and planning beforehand, you and key members of the IT staff should have no problem taking a nice vacation. A good way to start is by creating a vacation calendar. Sure you can and should use Outlook calendars and block off the time digitally. But I also like the idea of creating a physical calendar, and putting it up on a wall someplace for all to see. This will make sure that everyone – IT staff and non-IT staff alike – is on the same page when it comes to vacation schedules. Make sure members of the IT staff get their vacation requests in early. This will help your team to plan around each other, avoid too many overlapping vacation days, and avoid putting too much of a burden on employees who aren’t on vacation.

Cross-train employees so they can cover for each other

A little cross-training can go a long way. If there are some key tasks that you always take care of, don’t be shy about training your co-workers to cover for you prior to the beginning of your vacation. You can always repay the favor when it’s their turn to take some time off. Encourage the rest of the IT-staff to do the same. This approach offers the added bonus of encouraging professional development and helping everyone on the team expand their horizons a bit. It’s a surefire way to help you enjoy some vacation margaritas without having to worry about what’s happening back in the office.

Document, document, document

The more documentation you have, the easier it will be for your internal clients to solve problems on their own. Consider creating a knowledgebase, or updating your existing knowledgebase, before vacation season starts to heat up. This vital information will also be helpful to the IT staff members who are covering for others who are on vacation.

Make interns pay their dues

Aren’t college interns great? They do what they’re told (usually) and they’re hungry for knowledge. If your IT department is fortunate enough to employ college interns, don’t be afraid to depend on them even more than usual during vacation season. They’ll probably even thank you for the experience.